Improvement in wagon-tongue supports



L. D. BROWN. Wagon-Tongue Support.

No. 201,323. Patented March 19, 1878..

1NUENITUH= fiTT aN Y- mmzssra UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LORENZO D. BROWN, OF MONTMORENCY, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF HIS RIGHT TOWILLIAM S. HAGGARD, OF LA FAYETTE, INDIANA.

IMPROVEMENT IN WAGON-TONGUE SUPPORTS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 201,323, dated March19, 1878; application filed November 9, 1877.

tongue and bolster. Fig. 2 is a top, view of the same; and Fig. 3 is aview of the plate or cap to be placed over the ends of the springs,and'to which the staples or bolts are secured.

In said drawings, those portions marked A represent the rear end of awagon-tongue; B,

a portion of the front axle-tree; O, the bolster thereon; D, the spring;E E, the staples or rods therein; F F, the plates or caps on the ends ofthe spring to which the staples are attached G, a device by which one ofthe staples is fastened to the bolster or some other suitable point onthe wagon; H, the device fastened to the tongue; I, a small leverpivoted thereto, to which the other staple is attached in such a mannerthat the moving of the lever from one position to the other will operateto raise or lower the tongue, as the case may be.

1 The advantage of having an elastic device for this purpose is, thatthe tongue or neckyoke will not be thrown up against the horses chin,nor will the vehicle be strained, as when the tongue is perfectly rigid.

It will be observed that the elasticity obtained by the use of thisdevice is obtained by compression instead of torsion. The advantage ofthis arrangement is too apparent to need comment.

The lever I is an important part of this invention. By its use in theform shown, the tongue becomes supported by simply being raised, theraising of the tongue operating to throw the lever over in front,.andthe point of attachment of the staple thereto being lower than the pivot"i, the downward pressure of the tongue tends to hold the device lockedrather than otherwise.

As will be readily seen, the raising of a the tongue very slightly willallow the lever to be disengaged and the tongue lowered when desired.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, with the tongue A of a wagon, of a support the rearof which shall be fastened to some suitable point on the wagon,consisting of the spring D, staples E E, caps F F, device H, and leverI, substantially as herein shown and described.

2. A wagon-tongue support attached at one end to the bolster, or othersuitable point on the front of the wagon, and at the other end to thelever I, by which the device is operated to support the tongue, whichlever is, in turn, attached to the device H on the top of thewagon-tongue, all in combination with each other, substantially asherein shown and specified.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal, at La Fayette,Indiana, this 24th day of October, A. D. 1877.

LORENZO D. BROWN. [L s.]

In presence of- O. W. EATON, JAMES W. OONINE.

